Following his knockout win at Bellator 269, heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko spoke to the media about his highlight reel win in Moscow, Russia.
Emelianenko’s (40-6) grand return for his first fight in his homeland in decades was a highly anticipated affair for his supporters around there world. Not only since it was his first bout in two years, but there was reason to believe it could be the MMA great’s swan song from the sport. In facing Tim Johnson, the second-ranked fighter in Bellator’s 265-pound division, Emelianenko was facing one of the best talents in the division, and a man that has the power to put his lights out.
Yet, as we entered fight night, oddsmakers were seeing the fight as a pick ’em. And the 45-year-old made them look right as he turned back the clock in impressive fashion and scored a highlight-reel knockout on the American just two minutes into the fight. It was a second straight KO win for Emelianenko in the Bellator cage.
Fedor Emelianenko’s Bellator 269 post-fight presser
“I feel very great. I feel good. Two years passed. I’m happy that everything worked out the way we were thinking. … I’m very happy for the fact that we made the audience happy and we delivered such great joy to our fans. To those who follow our career and Bellator events,” Emelianenko said during his digital press conference.
Emelianenko moved his record to 4-2 in the promotion, with all six of his fights ending in the first round.
In his post-fight interview — which you can watch in the video above — the Russian spoke further on his win, and if he would prefer to just finish out the one fight left on his Bellator deal, or if he believes he has several more bookings left in him.
Scott Coker’s Bellator 269 post-fight presser
Bellator President Scott Coker also spoke to the media following the event. He answered questions on his thoughts of Emelianenko’s performance, when he would like to see him fight again, and if beating a top-ranked fighter puts him in line for a title opportunity in the near future.
Bellator 269 featured a finish in every single fight except for the three matchups on the 10-bout card. The most notable victory of the night, outside of Emeilianenko’s, was that of co-main event talent Said Sowma. The eighth-ranked heavyweight faced former division king Vitaly Minakov and scored a stunning TKO win after Minakov dislocated a finger. The dislocation led to the referee halting the action and calling the fight in favor of Sowma.
You can find the complete results of the event below.
Bellator 269 results
Main Card
Fedor Emelianenko def. Tim Johnson by KO, round 1
Said Sowma def. Vitaly Minakov by TKO (injury stoppage)
Usman Nurmagomedov def. Patrik Pietila by submission, round 1
Anatoly Tokov def. Sharaf Davlatmurodov by split-decisionPreliminary Card
Kirill Sidelnikov def. Rab Truesdale by TKO, round 1
Katarzyna Sadura def. Darina Mazdyuk TKO, round 2
Irina Alekseeva def. Stephanie Page by unanimous decision
Nikita Mikhailov def. Brian Moore by unanimous decision
Alexey Shurkevich def. Grachik Bozinyan by KO, round 1
Aiden Lee def. Alexander Osetrov by submission, round 1
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